Burma information and health ministers step down

YANGON, Burma (AP) — Burma’s ministers for information and health have been allowed to retire, in the country’s second Cabinet reshuffle in two months.

State television reported Tuesday night that President Thein Sein announced the resignations of Information Minister Aung Kyi and Health Minister Pe Thet Khin. An official explanation that a minister is permitted to retire is generally taken to mean a resignation under pressure.

No reason was given for the resignations. No replacements were announced.

The last reshuffle in June saw the departure of the religious affairs minister, who was later charged with corruption and sedition. The chief minister for Rakhine state, which is plagued by conflicts between Buddhists and Muslims, also lost his job at the same time.